District leaders blasted over resisting e-procurement
Jun 13, 2019
The government last year introduced the e-GP system to revolutionise government operations meant to improve efficiency in procurement functions.
The director of local governments' inspections, John Genda Walala has blasted district leaders who are resisting e-Government Procurement (e-GP) in preference to the traditional method of submitting bids for tenders.
Walala accused the district local government officials handling procurements for insisting on having bids submitted for tenders in a hardy copy instead of electronically.
"Who are you to resist new procurement changes?" Walala asked.
"As Chief Administrative Officer and an accountant of the district who are you to defy the directives of government regarding procurement processes?" he wondered.
Walala who is from the ministry of Local Government made the remarks during the handing over of 120 motorcycles to district leaders from hard -to -reach districts in Kampala.
The motorcycles were procured under the Development Initiative for Northern Uganda (DINU) by the UN Capital Development Fund (UN CDF) at a tune of Euros 150.6million.
The government last year introduced the e-GP system to revolutionise government operations meant to improve efficiency in procurement functions.
Other objectives of the e-GP system include increasing transparency in procurement procedures and systems, improving confidentiality, integrity, and authenticity of transactions between procurement entities and suppliers.
Walala also implored local government officials to recruit staff to fill in vacancies available in the districts and those who are in acting capacities should be promoted instead of returning money to the consolidated fund.
"Fill in vacant positions. We can't continue lamenting. You have to use available opportunity to recruit," he said.
"It's not acceptable to return money to the consolidated fund when we have opportunity to recruit," Walala told the district leaders.
A representative from European Union, Paul Okello who is a governance advisor stressed that the motorcycles should be used to mobilise communities to engage in income generating activities so as to improve household income and raise revenue for the district.
Ketty Lamaro, the undersecretary at Office of the Prime Minister who was officiating as a chief guest urged district leaders to fight corruption.